The Accident
by Nerdherder51
Summary: Terence has loved Tinker Bell from afar. They have always been the best of friends, but Tink has never thought of him as anything else. Will a potentially fatal accident finally bring them together, or will Terence lose his greatest treasure, Tinker Bell? Movie-verse. Rated T for frightening images, character death(?) and some language. Tinker Bell x Terence. Romance.
1. Chapter 1

**THE ACCIDENT**

**Tinker Bell, Disney Fairies and all related content are the property of The Walt Disney Company. The character of Tinker Bell originated by J.M. Barrie.**

**This fan fiction is not monetary gain and is intended solely for the entertainment of its audience.**

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1.

"Who is your friend that always delivers?" Terence asked as he arrived at the water's edge. This was where Tinker Bell had been constructing her latest innovation: The Pixie Dust Express.

She had to think it over. "Hmm…, Fawn?"

"No," he replied with a silly grin.

"Iridessa?"

"Me," he told her right before presenting the tinker fairy with a "stretchy thingy." A rubber band he thought might help with the vessel she had designed. Her first test of that watercraft didn't go exactly as planned. It bounced around, skidded onto the shore and up a tree.

That was so many years ago.

~O~

That vessel had been Tinker Bell's single greatest failure since arriving in Pixie Hollow. She had designed the boat to help the dust keeping talents make deliveries to the scouts at the farthest reaches of Never Land. What made the boat design unique was an optional mode she had dubbed "Hydro-Drive."

In Hydro-Drive, the craft would deploy two skis from its underbelly allowing it to skim effortlessly across the surface of the water at high speeds. At least that was how it worked in theory. In practice, controlling it in this mode was incredibly difficult. It was too unwieldy and no solution she had thus far devised resolved the problem. Every attempt to use Hydro-Drive had ended in disaster and usually wound up damaging or destroying the boat's hull, which had been fashioned from a gourd. Fortunately, Tinker Bell had always come away from these failed tests unscathed.

Many people she knew had tried to make helpful suggestions. Fairy Mary had proposed slowing it down. Meanwhile Clank and Bobbled put in their two pebbles worth by advising Tink to push the skis further apart for more stability. Terence kept insisting that her balloon carriers were all the dust keepers needed, but she just gave him a dirty look for his troubles.

"Balloon Carriers were too slow," she kept telling him. She wanted something that could reach the coastline of the island and make deliveries quickly. The determined little tinker fairy wasn't going to let this blasted thing get the best of her. Giving up meant failure and _failure was not an option_.

She kindly thanked everyone for his or her suggestions and then promptly went off on her own. She would put a third ski in the front of the craft to improve steering. To that end, she found another gourd whose size and shape fit her design needs and fashioned the fifth and latest version of The Express from it. When the current prototype was ready for testing, she launched it into the water from the very same dry dock where she had built all her earlier models. Since he believed that the balloon carriers were a worthwhile alternative, Terence thought this was unnecessary. However, just like with each previous test the dust keeper was by her side.

~O~

Tinker Bell and Terence had been the best of friends since she first arrived in Pixie Hollow several years ago. They shared many adventures together and he had developed quite a knack for pulling her out of sticky situations. Like when she tried to fix the moonstone that broke, Tink went away by herself telling no one, failed to fix the precious stone and got herself marooned on a distant, uncharted island far north of Never Land. Terence figured out what she was trying to do and went after her.

They would also travel to the mainland together where they got into some real scrapes with their human friend, Lizzy. Afterwards, her father Dr. Griffiths would give his daughter a good lecturing and then deliver another to the two fairies for encouraging this behavior.

Terence would bring her lost things for her inventions and food when she became so absorbed by a project that she would forget to eat. Whenever an invention failed, he was always there to pick up her spirits.

Ask anyone in Pixie Hollow and they would tell you that Tinker Bell and Terence were the perfect couple. It was so obvious that they were deeply in love with each other, except that neither of them knew it. Tinker Bell was a restless spirit who needed constant intellectual stimulation and excitement filled adventures, sometimes to the point of complete distraction. The bigger the adventure the more she enjoyed herself.

Terence, on the other hand, was as responsible as they came. He always put his work above everything else, even Tink's strange proclivities for danger and breaking the rules when it suited her needs. Terence didn't like to break the rules, unless it was _absolutely_ necessary. Tinker Bell found this highly annoying. He broke the rules once when she left to fix the moonstone. It showed how much he valued their friendship. In the end, Terence's superior Fairy Gary would have approved anyway if it meant bringing back a lost fairy, much less Tinker Bell.

Just when life in Pixie Hollow seemed at an end for Tink, Peter Pan showed up. He promised her an exciting life beyond anything Terence could provide, so she went away with him. Her adventures were the grandest a fairy could have. She and Peter fought the pirates lead by the infamous Captain Hook. They visited the mainland and brought human children to his secret underground hideout so they could tell stories to the Lost Boys. Then they would engage the Indians on the island in mock warfare, or cause mischief with the Cannibals. The mermaids loved to listen to him talk about himself. The time they spent together was legendary. Peter didn't care much for responsibility. He was a free spirit who loved to charge in headfirst, just like herself. Nothing could go wrong with this arrangement, it seemed.

Then they visited that Wendy girl. She got in the way. Tinker Bell didn't want Peter to abandon her for the human girl and have fun and adventure with her. So Tink got mad. So mad, in fact, she tried to have Wendy killed. Sadly, nothing was the same after that. Peter became enamored of Wendy Darling. He enjoyed her bedtime stories about him so much he would visit the Darling household regularly to hear them from the window. He treated Tinker Bell more like an accessory than a full partner. Taking what he needed from her and then ignoring the little pixie when he didn't. Even the Lost Boys got more respect than she did.

Truth be told Peter Pan always treated her like that, she would later come to understand. She was just having too much fun early on to realize just how bad their relationship had been. Tinker Bell finally left him, disconsolate and sullen she wandered aimlessly around Never Land for months asking herself why she left Pixie Hollow and if she could ever go back, unsure if anyone there would still be her friend.

When Tinker Bell silently flitted into Pixie Hollow one evening she made her way to the Pixie Dust Tree and announced herself to the Queen. Queen Clarion immediately embraced "her lost fairy who had finally come home." All of Tink's friends welcomed her back with open arms, too, though Tink did have to apologize for leaving so abruptly. Even Terence was happy to see her. Actually, he was ecstatic. This time he promised to find a proper balance between his responsibilities as a dust keeper and their friendship.

Tinker Bell knew immediately that this is what she needed in her life. Terence hadn't always paid attention to her before, but was willing to change. Pan paid almost no attention to her, but he didn't care to change. He made a genuine attempt once, but change meant growing up and he couldn't let that happen. Growing up was for adults and Peter Pan was going to stay a carefree, irresponsible boy forever.

It was then that she had an epiphany. Terence's responsibility was what made him such a great friend. She had missed it the first time around. Maybe he put his work above their time together on occasion, but that was because the whole fairy civilization relied on him and his peers. More than any other guild, the dust keepers were the most crucial to the survival of Pixie Hollow and the fairy way of life.

Pixie dust helped the fairies to fly and gave them life when a child's first laugh arrived from the mainland. Without it, the fairies wouldn't be able use their magic, or bring the seasons to the world. No new fairies would be born and slowly, over millennia, their numbers would eventually dwindle to nothing. By devoting himself to the continued existence and stability of Pixie Hollow, he helped to maintain world where their lives were safe and their friendship could be an easy one.

She told him how much she valued this.

"I love you, Terence," she told him.

"You do?" he asked.

"Yeah, you're the best friend any fairy could have."

She loved him as a friend, nothing more. He was so happy to have her back, but Terence had a change of heart she never knew, and now he couldn't tell her.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Accident**

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2.

"Ready?" she asked him from her seat behind the controls of The Pixie Dust Express.

"Ready!" he said from his canoe, oars in hand.

"And Terence," she said with a sly grin, "try to keep up."

Tink and Terence teased each other often like this. They had a strong and durable friendship. When she returned from her adventures with Peter Pan these two were able to slip back into their old ways very easily.

During a previous test of a different prototype, the little pixie boat zoomed off the water, went on land and got tangled up in a cluster of cat-o-nine tails. Terence went looking for her to make sure she was all right. Tinker Bell always was, but still.

When he started searching where The Express landed, he couldn't find her anywhere.

"Tink?" he called out. "Tink, where are you?" He searched through the reeds and the plants and the water lilies alike. The dust keeper looked high and looked low. He was getting worried, the timber of his voice changed reflecting that growing concern and anxiety.

Terence started yelling out her name. He was flitting above some broad leaf plants when Tink suddenly jumped out from under them and yelled "ROWR!"

"AAAHHH" he squealed, completely startled. She couldn't help but laugh. That look on his face was priceless. Of course, he wasn't too happy about it at first, but then he settled down and laughed right along with her.

Tink released partial tension on the wound up stretchy thingy she employed as a substitute engine. The rubber band powered three playing cards Tinker Bell had fashioned into a large paddle wheel on the back of the Express and two sets of walnut shells that rotated on either side of the boat. With all three spinning, the vessel moved across the placid waters at a good clip.

"Now for Hydro-Drive," she announced to herself. Tinker Bell said it every time she engaged the drive system that had given her so much grief in the past. She always thought it was for good luck. With a pull of a lever the three skis descended from the boat's hull while the full tension of the rubber band was released. The new Pixie Dust Express shot down the stream like a bat out of hell. Somehow The Express was travelling faster than any previous model she had built. It barely skimmed across the surface of the water and Tinker Bell had to hold on for dear life. The air plowed into her and nearly knocked the dainty girl off her feet. She dare not let go or risk being thrown from the boat. If that happened, the craft would outpace her fairy flying.

Terence was nowhere in sight. His little canoe slipped quietly along. He had given up trying to keep up several prototypes ago. He rowed his little boat to the shore and flew off after his best friend.

"Wow, she is really moving," he commented, a smile across his face.

Tinker Bell wrestled with the control stick. She pulled and pushed to dodge obstacles in the stream: Water Lilly's, frogs, hollow reeds, cat-o-nine tails, rocks, roots and logs. They rocketed past her as blurs. She was anxiety stricken and her heart raced. It was too fast now. A small part of her tinker mind tried to find a reason for it. Maybe it was the gourd she chose. Maybe she put too much tension on the stretchy thingy. Maybe it was the third ski. Whatever reason, this was no longer test run. It had become an exercise in survival.

Maybe I should let go.

Tink noticed that when she turned the boat it tended to go too far in that direction, forcing her to pull the other way and over correct. But each time she would pull and push the boat kept moving right and left farther and farther. The Pixie Dust Express started to bob and weave and then it fishtailed wildly. Then it turned sideways. When it did the water rushing passed underneath grabbed the edge of one of the skis and flipped the boat over. The Express didn't plow into the water and stop; instead, it flipped wildly over and over and over again. Bits and pieces shearing as it did and whistling past any little marine creature nearby. With the world tumbling over itself in her eyes, Tinker Bell shrieked in stark terror. She would be lucky come out of this unscathed.

Terence watched as the boat danced across the water's surface, tumbling out of control. Then it smashed into a log with a sickening thump, exploding into shards some that went as high as the trees themselves.

"Oooh," he said wincing. "Wow! She broke another one. Tink's not going to be happy about that."

Tinker Bell was infamous for her violent temper and mood swings. She would turn a bright red when she got mad. In extreme cases, her whole body glowed with anger. One set back like this could send her into a long, deep depression or a tirade of monumental proportions. Extreme emotions and competitiveness were defining characteristics when it came to fairies with extreme talents. Vidia was the same in many respects, her talent level being second only to Tinker Bell. In either case, when either of those two girls got mad, it was always wise to duck.

Terence finally caught up to where The Pixie Dust Express had all but vaporized against the log.

"Whoa! That looks bad." He turned around looking for his friend. After an epic failure like this he knew right off that she would need someone to perk up her spirits.

"Tink," he called. "Where are you, Tink?"

Nothing.

"Hey, where are you?"

Still nothing. The only sounds he heard were the bubbling of the stream and the rustling of the leaves in the tree branches above. A splash caught his attention, but it was the last of the fallout from her boat hitting the water.

He decided to employ a little game he and Tinker Bell used to play with Lizzy when she was a young girl. "Marco…," he called, waiting for her to respond with "Polo."

Again nothing.

_Okay, Tink, you've done this one before_, he thought. He spied some broad leaf plants, just like the ones she hid in the last time. There was some movement underneath. _Well if that's the way you want it, two can play._

Terence silently flew down into the stems of the broad leaf plants and listened. He heard something and moved very quietly towards the sound. He spied something green hiding under one of the leaves. _So there you are_. Terence drew in closer, never making a sound, always keeping an eye on his quarry. He ducked behind one of the plant stems and waited for the right moment.

He jumped out from behind his cover and yelled "YAAAH! GOT YA!"

"YEEEK!" A praying mantis shrieked in terror and flew off, scared out its mind.

"Ooops! Sorry, ma'am," he called out to the bug he had frightened.

_Tink must be somewhere watching this and laughing her wings off_, he told himself. Terence kept looking for her, searching the banks of the stream, inside a log, around some cat-o-nine tails and even behind a frog.

"Did you see anything?" he asked the amphibian. It replied in the negative.

Terence realized he was playing into her game of chasing her down. He changed his strategy. He would make her come to him. The dust keeper flew up to a tree branch with a bird's eye view upstream from where they came and sat down. In a loud and clear voice he said, "Okay, Tink, if you want to hide go ahead. I'm just going to sit here and wait until you're ready to show yourself."

He even went so far as to recline in a bend in the branch. He lay there comfortably, even crossing his legs while he waited. "Any time now, Tink," he said loudly. He watched for her to reveal her hiding place, unhappy that he wasn't playing along anymore. Terence watched and waited for a few seconds. Then he turned the other way downstream. His eyes caught the glimpsed of something in the water. _What's that?_

Terence left his perch and flew down to investigate. As he got closer the funny thing in the water took shape, colors became more visible, even a bit of movement. That's when he saw her. Tinker Bell, lying on the bottom of the stream, on her side, motionless. Only her wings showed movement, bobbing with the currents. His heart sank. Terence rushed to her side, only to stop abruptly.

"Nice try, Tink, but I'm wise to you," he mumbled. "I come rushing in to save you and you jump up and scare me. Not this time."

Terence fluttered down at a leisurely pace and gently set down in the water so as not to get his wings wet. Wet wings meant a fairy could not fly and Tinker Bell was taking quite a risk with her little practical joke.

He reached down into the water and lightly shook her arm. "Okay, Tink, you can pop up and scare me now."

She did nothing. Terence shook her arm again. Still she did not move. He got worried, but maybe that was what she wanted. He pulled her shoulder and she rolled over onto her back. Cloudy ribbons of crimson streamed from right temple. She was bleeding profusely.

"TINK!" he yelled. Terence quickly reached down and pulled her head above water. Terence spent so much time looking for her and she was here, under the water unable to breath. Was he too late? He pulled her close and listened for breathing, but heard none. Panicky, he grabbed her arms and tried to drag her out of the water, but he nearly slipped and fell in himself. Instead, he threw her over his shoulder and carried out of the stream and onto dry land. He put her down gently and put his ear to her chest. Nothing at first, then a faint sound of a heartbeat, maybe.

He had to get the water out of her lungs quickly so she could breathe. He turned her over and pushed down on her back to compress the water out of her lungs, moments later a little of the clear liquid came trickling out of her mouth.

"Tink, wake up. You have to wake up!" he cried, his voice trembling with fear.

"Please be alive, please wake up," he pleaded, his voice breaking even more. "Don't die. You're not going to die."

Most of the water seemed to be out of her lungs. At least that is what it looked like to him. He turned the limp tinker fairy onto her back and shook her hard.

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP, TINK!" he shouted. "Tinker Bell! It's me, Terence, your best friend. You have to wake up!"

He endlessly recriminated himself._ Why didn't I stop her? I should have been in the boat with her. I should have put my foot down and made her stop building these things. I should have just ordered the balloon carriers no matter how much she would have hated me._

A torrent of emotions flooded his heart and mind. Fear. Anger. Dread. Anxiety. Emptiness.

And love.

Especially love.

Once she announced he was the very best friend she could possibly have he vowed never to tell her that he loved her. Not just as a friend, but as so much more. He wanted to kiss her rosy cheeks, hold her in his arms, snuggle with her in front of a campfire in the Winter Woods, lay her across his lap and feed grapes to her under a tree in a summer meadow. He hoped to show his love to her in every special way possible.

He couldn't after that. To reveal his true feelings would jeopardize their friendship. She was too special to hurt in such a selfish way. How could he take away the best friend she could possibly have? He chose her happiness over his own.

Tears ran down his cheeks. His heart pounded like a drum, his breathing sped up and deepened. Nothing he was doing seemed to help. His mind told him it was a losing proposition. His heart wouldn't listen. Terence kept calling to her, shaking her, thinking what else he needed to do to bring her back.

"Tink," he pleaded, panic having fully set in. "Don't leave me. You're so much more to me than just a friend. You're the reason I get up every morning. My rounds are precise so I can finish early and spend that much more time with you. I look at you and can't understand why you think I'm so special. Seeing that smile on your face brightens my day every time." Then he said it. "I love you, Tink. I love you more than anyone in the entire world."

Nothing. Not a single sound came from his beloved Tinker Bell. Terence's body trembled and his voice cracked.

"No…, no, please, no."

After several long minutes of trying to revive the pixie, he finally accepted the inevitable and gave up. The young dust keeper grabbed her lifeless body into his arms and wept. She was gone. He couldn't save her.

"I love you, Tinker Bell," he whimpered. "I love you so much. Please come back to me. Please don't leave me."

He cried. He opened his mouth wide and the most disheartening wail you ever heard emanated from it. Terence fell into such deep shock that he began to rock back and forth, Tinker Bell still in his embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Tink. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he kept repeating.

He took one last look at the girl he had loved. Terence brushed those wonderful golden locks from her sweet face, gave her a heartfelt kiss and said, "Goodbye." He put her head on his shoulders and hugged her ever so sweetly. It would be last time he would do this.

Tinker Bell was gone.

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**Thank you for reading. If you enjoy this story please drop me a line.**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Accident Ch. 3**

**Fading Hope**

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Terence could not believe his fair-haired beauty had passed away. Her light had gone out far too soon. Fairies live very long lives, much longer than humans do. For a fairy to perish at such a young age was a tragedy indeed. So many thousands of years not lived, such much potential never realized. So many things never tinkered. One heart stopped beating. Another wished it could.

The young dust keeper gently scooped up the body of Tinker Bell in his arms. His stricken mind struggled with what to do next.

Where to take her? The hospital? What could they do for her there? Tinker's Nook? Fairy Mary would send him to the hospital.

The Pixie Dust Tree so that Queen Clarion could mourn Tinker Bell's passing? Yes, to the queen so that all of Pixie Hollow could say goodbye to the greatest talent it has ever known.

Terence flittered off towards the great oak tree where the seat of Pixie Hollow's monarchy resided. He could feel the warmth of her body against his own. It was almost as if she weren't dead. The boy kept looking at her sweet, cherubic face. Even in death, she was beautiful.

Tinker Bell was so innocent in her ways. The world was so wonderful to her tinker mind. She loved to explore everything. Dr. Griffiths once said she was like "a fascinated child with the brain of an engineer." She had to understand how everything worked. Dr. Griffiths even purchased a set of textbooks on mechanical engineering so she could read them when Tinker Bell visited during the summer.

His heart sank. What would he tell Lizzy and her father? What would he tell Peter Pan and the Lost Boys? How do you tell someone that his or her dear friend has died?

All of this weighed heavily on his heart. Tinker Bell had so many friends and they would have to find out. He would need to tell them. Iridessa, Fawn, Rosetta, Silvermist and Vidia, they were her closest friends, outside of himself. They were their own little clique.

Then he thought of Periwinkle, her sister. How would he break the news to her? They were both born of the same laugh, possessing the same curiosity and stubbornness and both with similar circles of friends. Poor Periwinkle would likely take it the hardest.

Tink and Peri being sisters understood more than any other pixie what it meant to have family. It was what made their relationship with the Griffiths so different. They could relate.

His mind had considered all these things in only a short time. When he looked back, the stream was still very close. It seemed like the journey would take forever.

Then he felt a wave of something come crashing over him. It was familiar and comfortable. Suddenly, Terence no longer felt her loss. He was at peace and unencumbered. He could not understand why or where it came from. When it ended, he was compelled to put her body down and listen, but for what? She was dead. The only sounds were the distant brook, the rustling of the trees and the wind blowing through the tall grass. That's when he heard something, a gargle or rattling sound. He looked at Tinker Bell and put his ears to her mouth. There was nothing…, and then he heard it again. Was she breathing? How could this be, she had stopped breathing moments ago. She was dead; Terence was so sure of it.

Terence placed his ear to her chest. He waited and waited, but finally her heart beat. It was so faint he almost missed it. Was that why he thought she was dead? Was her beating heart too weak to hear? Why could he hear it now? No matter, Tinker Bell was alive. He was so overjoyed he thanked the second star for hearing his prayers, if a star could hear a prayer.

Her voice…, her voice came to him, but she was not conscious. _Help me_, it said. He could only hear it in his head. _Help me, Terence_! His mind was playing tricks on him, it had to be, but it broke him from his stunned, joyful reverie. Terence picked her up and launched himself into the air. He pushed his wings as fast as he could beat them. Then he pushed harder, shooting through the air like a bullet…, like a fast flyer.

"Stay with me, Tink," he said to her. "Stay with me."

He was getting close. The dust keeper could see several garden fairies working above their flowers. "Get out of the way!" he yelled at them. "Emergency, get out of the way!"

They saw him coming and parted, letting him pass. He zipped through so fast they thought he was someone else. Rosetta could barely get a look at whom it was, but she recognized the girl in the green dress. "Was that Tinker Bell in his arms?"

Terence kept flapping his wings faster and faster. More than he ever had in the past. Now he had a reason to push this hard. His acorn cap flew off his head, Terence's blonde hair flapping in the winds. His wing muscles started cramping up; his lungs were burning from breathing so hard. His heart felt like it was going to explode. _Let it, as long as I get to the hospital and save Tinker Bell._

The young boy charged through a cluster of butterflies and scattered them all over. Several fairies yelled at him. He was moving so fast, Terence was out of earshot before they ever said a word. He kept shouting and bellowing to get other fairies to move from his path. He had to take the straightest line possible. Even one or two additional seconds could spell her doom.

Finally, he saw it, the hospital. Terence didn't stop at reception. He knocked over two patients and blew past so many others that they fell over. The dust keeper found a doctor and handed over Tink's body. He told the physician what happened, but rambled on so fast that the sparrow man couldn't understand a word Terence said. The blood staining her blonde hair was all that the doctor needed to see. Instantly, Tink taken into a room and the emergency care staff rushed in right behind. Terence kept relating what happened to the nurse who was trying to take his statement, but he was still rambling and talking too fast to be understood.

Someone there heard bits and pieces of the conversation. One part caught their attention, "Tinker Bell died."

**~O~**

In the Pixie Dust Tree, Queen Clarion was speaking with her ministers and Fairy Mary about the upcoming season. It was the usual chatter about schedules and production levels. Suddenly the door burst open and a hospital staff member ran into the room.

"Now see here," Redleaf barked. "This is a private meeting…"

"Tinker Bell's dead!" the staffer exclaimed.

The queen, the ministers and Fairy Mary all gasped at the hideous news.

"How," Queen Clarion asked.

"She was in a boating accident. A blonde dust keeper brought her to the hospital, but it was too late."

"Thank you," Redleaf said with a grim tone. The staffer left. The four ministers turned to their queen with solemn faces. Her wings had dropped at the news. She lowered her head in despair and had to turn away from them. Fairy Mary started to cry.

"Oh, Mary." Clarion hugged her friend, who sobbed uncontrollably.

"She was so young," Hyacinth mumbled. He had been stunned by the news and had forgotten who was in the room. Fairy Mary heard this and wept even harder.

"Oh, my. I'm.., I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, minister. Perhaps we should resume our meeting later," the queen said diplomatically. The four ministers bowed their heads in respect to their regent and left the room.

**~O~**

Terence couldn't go into the emergency room where the doctors were working on his blonde tinker fairy. He had to sit in the ER waiting room. He paced, he pestered everyone for information, and he ran himself crazy wondering what was happening to her. Eventually, he calmed down a bit, his adrenalin wore off and Terence sat down and fell asleep from the stress-induced exhaustion.

**~O~**

"Terence?" a voice called to him.

"Terence, wake up." He opened his eyes; the first thing he saw was a lovely blonde fairy in front of him.

"Tink? You're okay?"

"Terence, wake up!" the blonde fairy demanded of him. When he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he looked again. It was Viola, the queen's personal summoner.

"Queen Clarion wishes to extend her personal condolences," she said.

"Condolences? Oh no! She didn't make it!" Terence said, his voice breaking with fear. He bounced up out of his chair and started looking for a doctor or a nurse to tell him what happened. How long was he out? Why did no one tell him?

**~O~**

In Tinker's Nook Queen Clarion and Fairy Mary arrived, both wore grim and ashen faces.

"Gather 'round, everyone," Fairy Mary called out to all her charges. "The queen has an announcement to make."

"Tinker Fairies," the queen said, speaking in a sorrowful, but elevated voice. "Today, Tinker's Nook has lost one of its own. Tinker Bell has…, has perished in a boating accident."

All the tinkers in the Nook gasped with horror. Every pair of wings within earshot drooped from the sad news. Some of the fairies started to sniffle and cry. One young woman fainted.

"Oh that poor, lass," Bobble breathed.

Clank was so stunned he sat down, but missed his chair and landed on the ground instead. He hardly noticed. Bobble put a consoling hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Well get by, Clankie," he said.

The queen continued. "No words can properly express what Tinker Bell has meant to us all. Her enthusiasm, spirit and creativity have left an indelible mark on Pixie Hollow. She will not be forgotten."

Just then, Viola approached and beckoned to the queen. The summoner said something to her regent.

"Tinker Bell is alive?" Clarion asked her.

Hope flowed through Tinker's Nook. Fairy Mary looked so grateful.

"Tinker Fairies, it seems I was misinformed. I have just received word that Tinker Bell is in an emergency ward at the hospital. Her injuries are quite severe, but she is alive."

The fairies and sparrow men of Tinker's Nook cheered and clapped. "However, the doctors do not believe she will survive the night. You are released from your duties for the day to visit the hospital and say your goodbyes."

All the newly found hope was dashed with the news. Fairy Mary's heart sunk once again. "Alright, everyone. I want this done in an orderly fashion. Clank, Bobble, as her closest workmates you may visit her first."

Queen Clarion turned and flew out of Tinker's Nook. She spoke with Viola and ordered the summoner to find and inform all of Tinker Bell's friends immediately. "Then go into the Winter Woods and fetch Periwinkle."

Viola bowed her head and took off to execute her assigned task as quickly as possible.

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**Thank you for reading. My gratitude to CommonSwift for your review and to Nyac Silver Fang for following and making this a favored story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Accident Ch. 4**

**Tink's Last Day?**

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Terence was finally let into the room where Tinker Bell had been taken after the lengthy surgery. He sat down next to her bed and held the girl's hand. Her little green dress was gone, replaced by a white hospital gown. She was heavily bandaged around her right leg, left arm, around her chest and torso and on her head. Surprisingly, her lovely golden colored locks had been shorn from her head. The doctors explained the injuries that included several broken bones, cracked and broken ribs, numerous injuries to internal organs and a serious concussion. They had to relieve pressure under her skull to keep her alive, although no one truly expected her to be alive in the next 24 hours.

"It's like this, young man," the lead surgeon told him, "her chances of surviving the night are less than 1 in ten. If by some miracle she does survive, she will have only a fifteen percent chance of making it through the week. You might want to say your goodbyes now while you still can."

"I already did once and she held on," he said. "I'm not making that same mistake twice."

The physician nodded and commended Terence on his optimism. Then, under his breath, he mumbled "Foolish boy," while leaving the room.

The young dust keeper didn't hear it. He kept his mind focused on the girl who lay before him. He leaned over to her and said in a soft and kindly voice, "You'll be fine, Tink. I have faith in you. I'll be right here by your side taking good care of you."

About a half hour later, the first visitors came into the room. It was Queen Clarion herself and she was accompanied by her ministers and Fairy Mary. Mary, seeing how badly Tinker Bell looked, had to turn away. "It's alright, Mary," the queen told her. "You can wait outside if you want."

After a moment to compose herself the tinker guild master said, "No. I'll be fine."

Queen Clarion took the chart in hand and read the healer's report. It was very grim. "How did this happen, Terence?" she asked the young dust keeper.

He explained how Tinker Bell tried out another Pixie Dust Express design. "It went sideways, tumbled out of control and smashed into a log. I went looking for her, but couldn't find her right away. I thought she was playing with me as she always does. That's when I saw her at the bottom of the stream."

Terence retold every event that happened afterwards, including how he thought Tinker Bell had perished, but hadn't. Or maybe she came back to life. "I don't know. I honestly can't be certain because I'm not sure myself."

Queen Clarion put her hand on his shoulder, an act to both comfort and console him. The queen looked over the young tinker and felt her heart break. She remembered when Tinker Bell arrived in Pixie Hollow and the troubles the little one had learning to fit in and accept her talent. _All she wanted was to visit the mainland_, the queen remembered. Since then Tinker Bell had not only visited the mainland on numerous occasions, but she broke the first barriers between fairy kind and humans when she befriended the Griffiths.

Then she left Pixie Hollow for a time to have adventures with Peter Pan. Queen Clarion had been very cross with Tinker Bell when it came to light that the little fairy had actually tried to kill a human. However, Tinker Bell showed that she had learned her lesson was very contrite and had made amends with the young girl, Wendy Darling. She also played a pivotal role in rescuing Wendy, her brothers and the Lost Boys from the pirate Captain Hook the queen recollected. Though Tinker Bell deserved so much more for her careless acts that nearly broke one of Pixie Hollow's founding laws, do no harm, Clarion considered everything and only imposed a minor penalty on the young tinker for her assault. Now it all seemed to pitifully trivial as she lay here dying.

Another reason for Clarion's leniency was that Tinker Bell was always trying to improve the lives of everyone in Pixie Hollow with her inventions. Sometimes she would even put her own life in harm's way to do it. A few times Tinker Bell unintentionally put others in danger, but she was always able to make things right. Now her latest attempt to improve the lives of others had brought her to the end of her own life.

_I should have been more careful with you_, the queen thought. _I should have seen how adventurous and stubborn you really were._ _There should have been restrictions placed on what you could and could not invent and what you could and could not do_. Clarion, however, recognized this as useless self-incrimination. Nothing she could have done would have prevented this tragedy.

Fairy Mary walked beside the queen. The tinker guild master started to cry again. "Oh, Mary," Clarion whispered as she put her arm around the tinker guild leader and pulled her close.

"She was so young," Fairy Mary said. "So full of spirit and wonder, I-I can't believe I'll never see her again."

"Tink will be alright," Terence said. As soon as he heard Fairy Mary eulogize Tinker Bell he had to say something.

"Have the doctors told you something different?" the queen asked him.

"No they haven't, but I won't let her die," he said. "I'll make sure she pulls out of this just fine."

He said this with such confidence and authority that the queen was almost willing to believe him.

"I'm sure you will, Terence," the queen told him, humoring the boy. She had known how much he cared for Tinker Bell and assumed that he simply did not want to give up on her. _She has a wonderful advocate in that young man. Tinker Bell would be very grateful._

Each of the ministers came to the bedside to pay their last respects to the dying tinker fairy. All of them had read the surgeon's report and each one expected never to see the little girl alive again. Redleaf decided that the best way to honor her properly was an induction into the Pixie Hollow Hall of Legends. Hyacinth wanted to rename Tinker's Nook after her: Tinker Bell Nook. Sunflower wanted to declare an annual holiday in Tinker Bell's honor. Snowflake desired to have her likeness carved into a mountainside.

The young dust keeper watched as each wore a face of unbridled sadness and loss. He couldn't believe that none of them had the confidence that Tinker Bell would survive even these incredible odds. She had always overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges before because of the strength of her will. Tinker Bell refused to give up, her tinker mind always thinking and looking for solutions. She didn't give up at the stream and she won't give up now.

When the queen and her ministers were gone, Terence took note of how many times they said that Tinker Bell was going to die, or made a direct reference to it. If Tink could hear that, she might believe it and give up. He decided that the best way to help Tinker Bell stay alive was to stay very positive in the way he talked to her.

"Don't listen to them, Tink," he told her. "You are going to be just fine. I'm your best friend in the entire world, you can trust me."

Throughout the evening and into the night Tinker Bell's friends and co-workers visited. When they did, he asked them never openly say she was going to die or wouldn't survive the night or make any other comment or allusion to an impending death. "If Tink is going to live you have to be positive," he told them. "Treat her as if she is recovering from a minor injury and will be back to work soon. If she hears everyone tell her she will be fine, she'll believe it and get better."

"Oh, of course we will," Rosetta told him. "We all want Tink to get well soon."

Then she turned to the others and mouthed, "He's delusional."

Fawn shot a withering glare at the garden fairy.

"Yeah, he won't give up on her, it's sad," Silvermist whispered.

"If it can help Tink we need to do it," Fawn said.

"Yeah, she'll be okay with a little help," Silvermist amended.

"Sil, pick a side and stick to it," Iridessa scolded.

"Okay…, which side?"

"Ugh, let's just go inside, already," Vidia chided.

As soon as they entered the room, each of the fairies stopped cold. Tinker Bell had never looked so…, helpless. The sight took even Vidia, the resident bad girl and tough nut, aback. Fawn and Rosetta embraced each other for support and solidarity. Silvermist started to weep. Iridessa found that Vidia, her polar opposite in many ways, had grasped her hand. It was shaking badly. Not one of them could remember Terence's advice. He didn't hold it against them. Tinker Bell's current state was a shock to anyone who knew her.

When Bobble and Clank arrived, the first of the tinkers who filed into pay their last respects to their fallen comrade, they had to leave for a moment. It was too much for them to bear all at once. They were the first tinkers to greet Tinker Bell when she arrived at Pixie Hollow. The two gave her a tour of the grounds, and introduced her to Tinker's Nook and helped her to learn their trade. Next to Terence and the girls, they were the closest friends Tinker Bell had.

Soon, one by one, every tinker from Tinker's Nook came in to the room and said "goodbye," or "we'll miss you," or "you were so special." It made Terence flinch every time. Tink heard it so often he wondered if she would just give up before morning. He was only one voice assuring her she was going to get well against hundreds of voices telling her she was going to die.

"You'll be okay Tink," he kept telling her between visits. "Don't listen to them; you are going to be just fine. When you get out of here, you're going to lick that problem with the Pixie Dust Express. On its maiden voyage, I want you to be my first passenger. Just the two of us, taking a boat tour of Never Land. Because I love you, Tink. I love you more than anything."

He just hoped she was listening.

* * *

**To help Tinker Bell make through the night, clap your hands and say "I do believe in fairies." Thank you for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Accident Ch. 5**

**Winning the Battle, Losing the War**

* * *

After nightfall, the last of the visitors left. Among them were fairies and sparrow men of other guilds besides the tinkers, including Fairy Gary who had a soft spot in his heart for Tinker Bell. When the last of them had gone, doctors told Terence he could leave whenever he wanted.

"No, I'm staying," he replied, and indeed he did. Terence kept vigil over his beloved fairy throughout the night. He watched over her like the protector he should have been earlier that day and wasn't. He spoke to her regularly, related some juicy gossip he heard and even explained a few things about being a dust keeper that Tinker Bell had always wanted to know, but he was always too busy to tell her. Terence said whatever he could just to keep her mind active and his off what could be her last evening of her life.

Late at night, his eyes started to droop and he began to nod off. Terence forced himself to stay awake by getting up and walking around, making sure Tinker Bell's bed was tidy and that her room was orderly. Not that there was much to arrange, some of the visitors earlier that day brought a few flowers of condolences and Terence would move them around to look nice. It was all just so much busy work to keep his mind and body from falling asleep.

However, despite remaining ardently positive, deep inside Terence still held many doubts and they kept him in a constant state of anxiety and fear. This took its toll on him as exhaustion began to overwhelm his most strident attempts to keep awake. He sat down for a moment to speak with Tinker Bell, taking her hand in his and stroking it with his thumb. The next thing he knew, Terence was in the hallway still sitting in the chair.

**~O~**

"Hunh? What happened? Where am I?" he asked no one in particular.

"He's awake now doctor," someone said from inside the room. A healer talent walked out of the door and shook Terence's hand. The same doctor that spoke to Terence yesterday and told him Tinker Bell wouldn't survive the night.

"What happened? Is she still alive?" Terence asked, panic setting in.

"I don't know what you did last night, my boy, but it seems to have worked," the healer said. "She made it through the night."

"Thank the second star," Terence said, gasping with relief.

"I am very surprised," the physician added. "I would have staked my reputation that she was going to perish before sunrise. Well, that being said, despite some improvements your friend is still going to have a hard time ahead of her."

"What do you mean?" Terence asked.

"She was without oxygen for an extended period of time; it could have resulted in brain damage. If that is the case, then we must consider the possibility she may never wake up. Tinker Bell could be a vegetable for the rest of her life," the doctor answered.

This answer struck Terence at his core. To think that he could win the battle and still lose the war was a sickening proposition.

The doctor continued. "Also, her injuries are still going to be a threat to her life for at least the rest of the week. She may need more of your brand of comfort to make it all the way through."

"I'll stay here as long as it takes," Terence told the healer. "She is my best friend, I owe it to her."

"Well said, young man," the doctor told him before going back into the room.

"Wait, why was I out here this morning?" Terence asked him.

"Oh, we had to examine her and change her bandages," the physician replied. "We tried to wake you, but you were dead asleep, if you will pardon the pun. We moved you out here until we finished. You can come back in now if you choose."

Terence moved the chair back into Tinker Bell's room as the doctors and nurses began to clear out. He sat back down next to Tinker Bell's bed and whispered to her. "You did well, Tink. You made it through the night, but I'm not leaving you. I am going to stay here until you get all better. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Terence hoped she could hear him, that her mind was still there to listen to his words.

**~O~**

Shortly after Terence had returned to his role as vigilant caregiver, Fairy Mary arrived expecting to hear news of Tinker Bell's death. She was astonished and delighted to hear that the little fairy was still alive. However, when Terence explained what he had been told by the doctor it tempered the guild master's enthusiasm. She felt as if she were on a roller coaster of emotions these last twenty-four hours.

"Tinker Bell is very strong," Fairy Mary told Terence. "If she's made it this far I have no doubt she will make it all the way back."

Terence agreed with her. Mary was quite complimentary of his efforts to stay by Tinker Bell's side and keep her company. He had done well, she said. "She is lucky to have a friend like you in her life."

"Thanks, Fairy Mary."

The two spoke at length about what Tink meant to them. It was an illuminating conversation for both, particularly when Mary realized how deeply Terence loved Tinker Bell. Not just as a friend, but in a romantic way.

"I never knew you had these feelings," she said.

"I've never told anyone," Terence answered. "When Tink came back from her adventures with Peter she told me I was the best friend she ever had. I didn't want to ruin that by telling her I loved her. What if she didn't love me back? She would lose everything important to her. I let her believe we were just friends to protect her."

"You always looked out for her best interest, Terence. She would be very fortunate to have a suitor like you," Mary said. "Will she when this mess is all over?"

"I don't know, Fairy Mary," he said. "I want to tell her, but… it could ruin everything we have."

"Or it could lead you both down a path of true happiness," she countered. "Oh! Look at the time, I best be gettin' to work. So should you, Fairy Gary doesn't like it when his people are tardy."

"Fairy Mary? Could…, could you tell Fairy Gary I'll be staying her for a while?" he asked her. "Tink still needs me, needs someone to talk to her and reassure that everything will be alright."

"Of course, I will. I'm sure he will be most accommodating," Fairy Mary answered.

"Thank you. Oh, and one more thing, if it's not too much trouble?"

"What is it? Go on, spit it out."

"Could you have someone bring over a few books so I can read them to Tink? I'm running out of things to talk to her about."

"Oh, is that it? For you, I'll bring the whole library," she said.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

Fairy Mary then turned to her ailing charge. "Now you get back on your feet soon, young lady," she said, remembering that Terence wanted to stay positive. "I've plenty of work backing up on your table and you know how I can be when my workers don't finish on time. I expect to see you back at your workstation and soon."

Terence smiled at Fairy Mary for being so upbeat when she had little reason to be. She said her goodbyes and left. Terence felt very fortunate to have so many helpful and understanding people around him.

**~O~**

Less than an hour later, Queen Clarion arrived with Viola in tow. She had heard the good news that Tinker Bell had survived the night from Fairy Mary. It made sense she would be the queen's source of information, as the two were close friends. Viola was carrying numerous books of various types: fiction, reference, children's reading (from the Griffiths) and a few one person plays from the theater, courtesy of Lyria.

The queen wanted to see Tinker Bell and see how she was coming along. Clarion had received the full report from Fairy Mary and wanted to do her part to help the young dust keeper in his efforts to keep Tinker Bell alive. She was also informed of Terence's feelings for Tinker Bell. It both warmed her heart and broke it at the same time to find out. Terence's love was what kept him by Tinker Bell's side, that he never told her, now with the possibility of her death at hand (or worse, her never waking up), was a most heart wrenching development.

"Here are the books you requested," the queen said. "I picked them out myself. I'm sure they will aid you in your efforts."

"Thank you, Your Highness," he answered. "I'm certain they will." He took the books from Viola and thanked her, as well.

"Fairy Gary has allotted you one full week to care for Tinker Bell around the clock," the queen told him. "After that, he will need you back at your post."

"Thank you, Queen Clarion. If she-, when she survives the week the worst will be over for her. It's all I need."

Queen Clarion said that she would send over more books midweek, all he had to do was request them from Viola. He thanked her for everything she as doing for Tinker Bell. He never said thank you for himself. Always for Tinker Bell.

**~O~**

Before the queen left, they heard noises in the corridor. "Coming through!" one said in a very distinctive accent. "Frost fairy in the hospital," said the other. It was Clank and Bobble.

They turned the corner and entered with Tinker Bell's sister, Periwinkle. She was seated in a wheelchair made of bamboo and which supported several blocks of ice to keep the frost fairy cold. The blocks, which were arranged like seat cushions (including a tall back, a seat, and arm, leg and foot rests), were nestled in cotton balls and sawdust as insulation to prevent them melting too quickly. Tinker Bell's snow maker design was too bulky to move around within the confined spaces of the hospital corridor, so Clank and Bobble invented the frozen wheelchair to allow Periwinkle a short visit.

Peri gasped and nearly started to cry when she saw her dear sister lying on the hospital bed and wrapped in so many bandages. Her seemingly lifeless body, except for her breathing, made Periwinkle's heart sink like a rock. When she heard the news yesterday that Tinker Bell was dying she was desperate to get to the hospital, but couldn't. Afraid she would never get to say goodbye, Clank and Bobble assured her they would come up with something quickly. It took longer than expected and Peri was certain she would be too late. However, because Tinker Bell survived the night Periwinkle was able to visit her sister after all. She was grateful for small favors.

While Terence and Peri discussed Tinker Bell's current situation and prognosis, Queen Clarion marveled at the design and thought about asking Clank and Bobble to construct one for Lord Milori. It would allow him access to the interiors of the Pixie Dust Tree.

_After Tinker Bell has recovered_, she told herself.

Terence and Peri talked for a while about what he was doing to help Tink recover. He showed her the books Queen Clarion provided and Peri was extremely grateful to the queen for her generosity.

"I might be able to send a few new ones over by Snowy Owl tomorrow," she said.

"Every little bit helps," he said. "If that's alright with you, Your Highness?"

"Yes, of course," the queen said. "Periwinkle should look out for her sister."

**~O~**

When everyone had gone, Terence sat down and began reading from the first book. He was determined to keep Tinker Bell's mind engaged. But was there a mind to keep engaged? The words of the physician kept echoing in his mind. _She might have suffered brain damage. She could be a vegetable, never to wake up._ Terence stopped reading. He just looked at the book and wondered if any of this was helping.

_It has to be_, he told himself, _how else would she have made it through the night?_ It wasn't much, but he grasped whatever he could.

Taking this tiny thread of hope, he began reading again. "Oh this is a good one, it's from Lizzy. The scribes copied this from one of her books at the summerhouse last year. Remember?" He began reading to Tinker Bell the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

_Please still be there_, he prayed. _Please come back to us. To me._

* * *

**Thank you for reading. **

**Terence wishes to thank everyone for believing in fairies. Now just believe a little bit more to help Tinker Bell fully recover.**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Accident Ch. 6**

**Future Imperfect**

* * *

Days often passed far too quickly for Terence. His work was long and repetitive, not that he cared. Being a dust keeper was his talent, and a sparrow man's talent was his joy. This week, however, crept painfully along. For the first time in his memory, he wanted these seven days to be done with as soon as possible. Each second, each minute, each hour that ticked by did so far too slowly for him. It kept Terence in a constant state of anxiety that he would lose his precious tinker fairy. Each day kept Tinker Bell's life in peril and he wanted to move beyond this _week of hell_ so that he could breathe easier.

Each day that passed, he would sit by her side, read books to her and talk about whatever he might hear from visitors. Tink's friends, Iridessa, Vidia, Silvermist, Fawn and Rosetta came by regularly to check on Tink's progress. Rosetta always brought arrangements of flowers to cheer up the room for both Tinker Bell and Terence. Since he usually sat all alone in that room, she wanted him to have color to keep up his spirits. He thanked her every time because it did help.

When the nurses came to change bandages or swap the linens, he would lend a hand. Terence wanted to be as much a part of Tinker Bell's recuperation as possible. The nurses didn't appreciate his interference at first, but they quickly warmed up to him. His likeable personality and charming demeanor won them over.

Terence also assisted with something else. He would move Tinker Bell around a bit in her bed to avoid bedsores. Letting her lay motionless in one place too long would eventually lead to painful sores on her body. Shifting her around prevented that. The young dust keeper was instructed how to do it so that he could be more involved. He would fluff her pillow, kept her blanket just so to keep her warm. He did almost everything the nurses did except give her a bath. He thought that Tinker Bell should at least keep some of her dignity. All of this kept his mind alert and distracted from the terrifying possibilities of her recovery. If he had nothing to do, his thoughts would always come back to what the doctor had said to him at the beginning of this interminable seven days.

_She could have brain damage from being denied oxygen for so long_, he remembered. _Or she may remain in a vegetative state, never to wake up._

He would imagine what that might be like. Tinker Bell, forever confined to the bed in her teakettle home. Her wonderful tinker mind ruined forever. No more new inventions, no more incredible ideas. All of it gone. If she needed care for the rest of her life, he would do it. Terence believed he could manage on his own, balancing work and care giving.

He would have to keep her house neat and clean, turn her body over to avoid bedsores. Terence imagined having to give her regular sponge baths to keep her clean and he would feed her regularly to keep her strength up. As he had done in the hospital, he would talk to her. Tell her what new idea Bobble had, or what silly thing Clank did. "You know, Periwinkle wants to visit soon. Should I let her, Tink? It hurts her whenever she sees you like this, but she is your sister. She deserves to be a part of your life."

However, as his mind kept focusing deeper and deeper on how is life would change it became quite clear that even his love for Tinker Bell wouldn't allow him to care for her indefinitely. Such a lonely task would overwhelm anyone, even him.

"You have to wake up, Tink," he told her. "You just have to wake up."

**~O~**

By the fifth day, the work was taking its toll on Terence. He was wishing he could leave, but his devotion to Tinker Bell would not allow it. The constant need to talk to someone, but having no one to converse with was the most damning of all constraints. The occasional visitor became his lifeboats, but for hours on end, it was he and the unconscious Tinker Bell. In the beginning, he spoke to her to keep her mind focused on recovery. Now it was simply to hear a voice, any voice, to keep him from going mad.

He lost his energy and had to focus his mind just to complete his daily tasks. Each minute became a labor to endure. Worst of all, he thought more and more about losing Tinker Bell and his resolve quickly was failing. He was certain that all of his efforts would be for naught. Terence had to fight the desire to sleep all day and night. This was his escape from the prison he had made for himself. Even a prison of love was still a prison.

When the sun went down and all of his daily duties had been completed he rested in the chair, which had become his bed. It was most uncomfortable; he desired only to be in his own mattress. It was a warm and lovely thing, comfortable and his partner in many wonderful dreams.

Terence noticed he hardly dreamt at all while sleeping here. He woke the last couple of days with twinges in his back. Muscles often felt tired even after hours of rest. For a moment, a very brief one, he wanted to put Tinker Bell in the chair and take the hospital bed for himself. Not as inviting as his own, but it would be more restful than the accursed chair. Sleep in the chair he did.

**~O~**

"Wake up, young man. Wake up," someone said. A hand was shaking him on the shoulder. "Wake up!"

Terence opened his eyes. He was staring into the face of the physician who had been caring for Tinker Bell. "Wake up, young man. Your friend has finally stirred."

He bolted up out of the chair. "Tinker Bell? She's okay!"

"I'm afraid not," he said.

"Wha-? What do you mean?"

The physician pulled up a chair and bade Terence to sit down again. "Young man, you have done remarkably well these last few weeks caring for her," the doctor began. "Her recovery was more than any of us could have hoped for. Unfortunately, it is as we all feared."

Terence's heart sunk at the words he spoke. If the physician was speaking in such tones then it could only mean one thing.

"The young girl, Tinker Bell, had indeed been underwater for too long," the physician continued. "She was denied much needed oxygen and suffered significant brain damage. I'm very sorry."

The young dust keeper was stunned into silence. He couldn't believe his ears. So many reprieves, so much work to keep her alive and well. Yet he had been too slow at the stream and now his failure had cost her dearly. If only he had not stopped at the tree branch. If he only thought to look beyond the accident site. Those words, "if only," kept going through his head.

The physician brought the young man to the room where the nurses cared for Tinker Bell. What he saw broke his heart. The love of his life, the most beautiful fairy in all the land had been turned into a burbling child.

She wore a goofy look on her face, a blank stare in her eyes and a silly grin from which drool fell onto her hospital gown.

"Oh, no!" he gasped. "Oh poor Tink."

**~O~**

Because of the severe cognitive impairment, Tinker Bell needed constant attention. She had no ideas of her own; she never spoke and had absolutely no initiative. Her only form of communication was through a few simple sounds she made like laughter, crying or wailing. Motor control function was minimal, less so her other responses. Feeding her took time. Small amounts of vegetable broth or food turned into mush was placed into her mouth. Then her throat had to be tickled until she swallowed. This was done each time food or drink was put in her mouth.

Tinker Bell had less control over her own bowels or bladder. Terence or her friends took her to clean up several times a day because of this. The sewing talents helped by making undergarments made from dry spun spider web silk and lined with cotton for absorption. The interior was then covered with additional dry spider silk woven lightly together to allow the cotton to be useful. It functioned similar to modern day adult diapers.

When taken for a bath, Tinker Bell would splash the water and giggle with delight. A good, warm bath gave her unabashed pleasure. If the water were too hot or too cold, however, she would cry and wail until it was just right. She barely recognized her old friends and coworkers. Getting her to do anything required a great deal of cajoling and coercing. Tink's skills were hidden somewhere within the damage to her mind. It took work to bring them out and when someone could, it was with limited success.

"C'mon, Miss Bell," Bobble said. "You can do it."

The tinker sparrow man was holding an acorn on Tinker Bell's workstation and presented the hammer to the tinker fairy. "Take the hammer."

Tinker Bell, stared emptily at the acorn and hammer before her. "Take the hammer. The hammer, Miss Bell."

Bobble carefully put the hammer in her hand. He took her arm, opened her delicate fingers, put the hammer in her palm and then carefully closed her fingers around its handle. He let go of her hand and she let go of the hammer. It landed squarely on his foot.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Bobble bounced around on one foot while he soothed the injured toes.

Tinker Bell laughed. "Nghuuuh huuuh huuuh!"

"Yes, very funny, Miss Bell," Bobble said. He put weight on his hurt foot. Bobble had to limp for a while, but soon the pain subsided. He tried again, putting the hammer in her hand several times before she finally caught on that she should hold it.

The next step was getting her to strike the acorn in just the right spot, between the cap and the nut.

"Now, Miss Bell, hit the acorn right here," Bobble told her, pointing to the spot he wanted. She did nothing, but held the hammer upright. "Right here," he said. "You can do it."

Tinker Bell swung the hammer, but missed the acorn entirely. Bobble helped her to hold the hammer upright again. "Okay, that was good. Now let's try again. Shall we?"

He pointed again to the spot on the acorn where he wanted her to strike the acorn. She swung it again after much encouragement. She hit the nut and knocked it into Bobble's face, sending flat on his bum.

Tinker Bell found it most comical and laughed again. "Nghuuuh huuuuh. Nguuuh huuuuh!"

"Yes, yes, very funny," he said, dusting himself off.

After more attempts, Bobble finally got Tinker Bell to strike the acorn in just the right spot, splitting it in two useful parts, the nut and the cap. The nut was added to a pile for the animal talents to feed their squirrels and the cap was placed into a pile that would be made into bowls or cups or whatever was needed from it.

At the end of the day, Fairy Mary approached Bobble and asked, "How did she do today?"

"She's up to five acorns, now," he answered.

"That's quite an improvement," she told him. "Well done, Bobble. Keep up the good work."

Rosetta came by to pick up Tinker Bell and take her to the baths before dinner. She had to coax the little tinker fairy to come with her, just as she did every time she had the duty. Tinker Bell's friends, even Vidia, agreed to share the workload so that Terence didn't have to miss too much work to care for the brain-damaged fairy. It was incredibly difficult for him to be a full time caregiver and a full time dust keeper. Each of the girls stepped in to help in ways big and small. Fairy Gary accommodated the boy as best as he could, but some days there was no escaping his work at the Pixie Dust.

"Okay, sugarplum, let's get you all cleaned up for din-din, alright?" Rosetta said in a soothing voice. She took her to the baths and got her ready for the evening.

Tinker Bell splashed the water everywhere and got poor Rosetta all wet. "Ha ha, very funny, Tink," she said, trying to stay in good cheer. This happened every time she brought Tinker Bell to the baths.

Afterwards, they waited for Terence. He was usually on time, but if his workload was heavy then the young dust keeper would be late. Tinker Bell hated that. She needed routine to stay happy. If it varied even in the slightest, Tink became panicked. She would start to scream and wail.

"Wngghaaaaaauuuggghh! Wngghaaaaaaaaaaaauuuggghh!"

"Alright, alright, he's comin'," Rosetta tried to reassure her. "He's just a few minutes late. Everything will be okay."

Tinker Bell didn't understand. She wailed even louder and started to rock back and forth, her arms wrapped around her body in a defensive posture. "Wngghaaaaaauuuggghh!"

"There he is," Rosetta said with the dust keeper in view. "See? He's comin' to get you, Tink."

Terence had to calm down the anxious little pixie. "Shhh, I'm here, Tink. Everthing's okay," he told her. It took a minute or two before she did calm down so she would resume her normal schedule.

"Thanks, Rosetta," he told her.

"Don't thank me. Honestly, Terence, I don't know you do this every day."

"Honestly, I don't know either."

Rosetta could see lines in his face starting to creep in, his eyes had circles under them and he looked hunched over just a tad. Terence looked resigned to his fate.

Terence guided Tinker Bell to the dining hall. He would have to rub her back to get the little fairy to flutter wings to take flight.

**~O~**

Once a week, on the same day at the same time, Terence would put Tinker Bell into a wheelchair and take her out to the border between the Autumn Forest and the Winter Woods. Here, on the tree root bridge, Tinker Bell's sister Periwinkle made her weekly visit.

"Hi, Tink, how are you today?" Peri would ask. She never expected a response. The little frost fairy would speak in soft and pleasant tones to her infirmed sister. When she moved around Tink's eyes would follow her, but Periwinkle didn't know if that was recognition or if she was just following motion. One day, Peri decided to reach out and take Tink's hand into her own. Tinker Bell pulled her arm away and began to make fearful sounds. "Hhhnnuuuuuuuuhhh!"

This hurt Peri so deeply that her own sister didn't seem to recognize her. Periwinkle took her arm away and silently tried not to look pained. "Are you eating well? Oh what a stupid question."

"It's okay, Peri. Tink just needs to hear your voice," Terence reassured her.

She sighed. "How is Terence doing as a caregiver? I bet he's awesome. Say, would you like to hear what's been happening in the Winter Woods?"

As Periwinkle talked to Tinker Bell, Lord Milori arrived to see how the little tinker fairy was doing. He noticed Terence in the back and went to speak to him.

"It breaks my heart to see Tinker Bell in such a way," the Lord of Winter said. "But this is a splendid thing you do for her. I'm sure she appreciates it very much."

"Yeah, I'm sure she does," he answered, a distinct tone in his voice.

"Is everything alright, Terence?" Milori asked. "You look very tired."

"It's okay, Lord Milori. All I need is a little sleep," Terence answered.

"You need more than sleep, you look like you could use a vacation," Milori suggested.

"I can't. Tinker Bell needs me. She can't get along without me around. I know, I've tried."

"Well, it would do you very well to relax and soon or you won't be much good to her," Milori told him.

"I'll try, but it probably won't be much better than last time," Terence said, his admission so full of the truth that even Milori could sense it. He put his arm around the young man and tried his best to offer some temporary relief with a bit of conversation and laughter.

**~O~**

Terence really didn't know how he managed each day. The work was crushing, but he couldn't leave her alone. Tinker Bell didn't recognize many people except those who were closest to her. This meant, Terence, a few of her coworkers and the girls. Tink viewed everyone else with apprehension.

Initially, the queen designated a nurse to attend to Tinker Bell's daily care, but that didn't work too well. Tinker Bell didn't know her and became very frightened and panicked. She would shy away from the nurse, or throw her hands around when the woman approached. One day, Tink hit the nurse squarely in the face, breaking the poor nurse talent's nose. Terence volunteered and became Tink's designated caregiver.

The nurse would show up on schedule as a medical necessity. However, only when Terence was around would Tink allow it. He had no time to himself anymore. He could not socialize properly, relax or just have time to recover. Each day was the same thing for him. Wake up and take care of Tinker Bell in the morning. This entailed cleaning her, dressing the girl and feeding her breakfast. Then after a morning bowel movement, changing her diaper and cleaning her up again. He would bring her to Tinker's Nook where either Clank or Bobble would baby sit while Terence tended to his rounds at the Pixie Dust Depot.

Midday, Terence would bring her to the dining hall for lunch and then bring her back to the Nook until his shift was over. That's when he would come to pick her up after one of the girls took Tinker Bell for a bath. He would feed Tink dinner, change her diaper again if she needed it, then bring her home and talk or read to her before putting Tink to bed. On his days off, he did it all. He had to; Terence knew Tink's schedule and routine better than anyone else did. Clank, Bobble, Iridessa, Fawn, Silvermist, Rosetta and Vidia were always eager to help. He liked the time away from Tink when one of them volunteered, but it always ended the same way, someone coming to bring Terence to find out why Tinker Bell was screaming and rocking back and forth. He was stuck, a victim of his own attention to detail.

Unfortunately, this routine was damaging Terence on multiple levels. It left him constantly exhausted; it broke him down psychologically and left him without many friends. He had minimal conversations outside of work and mentally he felt beat down and disjointed every day. Before the first year was even through Terence entertained ideas of abandoning Tinker Bell to the nurses so he could go back to his old life. His guilt wouldn't let him.

Deep inside, he began to hate Tinker Bell. Frustration, anger and resentment built up to a bursting point. His usually cheerful demeanor disappeared, replaced with hostility towards everyone. It hurt his work ethic and distanced him from everyone at the depot. Some days he just went through the motions from the time he woke up to the time he went to sleep. Other days he felt better, but not by much.

One day he dropped a bag of dust on the ground while on deliveries. Instead of just picking it up, he screamed out a stream of fairy insults and foul words. Terence kicked the bag everywhere until all the dust was scattered to the winds. Then he kicked at the ground, tossed pebbles and rocks and ripped flowers and grasses from the ground. He threw around everything he could grab. It drove every fairy, animal and bug away from him. This lasted almost twenty minutes.

When he ran out of energy, Terence collapsed and cried out, sobbing until he could no longer shed any tears. The catharsis released all of the pent up anger, hate and other negative emotions he kept bottled up every day. Fairy Gary worried about him. He was sure Terence was going to collapse sooner than later. For Terence, he knew his life would always be about Tinker Bell. He felt chained to her. Since fairies lived for thousands of years and both he and Tinker Bell were very young, it meant Terence would spend the remainder of those thousands of years caring for the girl. Unless of course she passed away early, and sometimes he caught himself wishing she would.

At the end of each day, Terence would change Tinker Bell into her nightclothes and put her to bed. To help her realize it was time to sleep, he would sing lullabies to her. She would smile at him and listen intently. When she did, Terence thought she looked just like she did before the accident. It gave him the slimmest glimmer of hope. This was something that somehow kept Terence coming back to her. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and Tinker Bell would finally fall asleep. Terence, so exhausted from the nonstop days, would collapse into his own bed and fell into slumber immediately.

**~O~**

"Terence, wake up," a soft and feminine voice called. "Wake up, you overslept."

"Hunh?"

"Wake up, silly, you overslept today."

"He opened his eyes and peered into the beautiful face of Silvermist, the water talent fairy. When Tinker Bell was off with Peter Pan, he dated Sil for a while, but the chemistry wasn't right. They ended their relationship, but stayed good friends.

"Where am I?" he asked her.

"In the hospital," she answered.

Terence looked around. His neck hurt from sleeping in the chair all night long and didn't feel better than he did last night. He looked over and saw the little tinker fairy lying in the bed, still unconscious.

"Oh, it was only a nightmare," he mumbled.

"Terence, why don't you go home for today," Silvermist suggested, "It's my day off, I don't mind filling in."

The young dust keeper had promised to stay by Tinker Bell's side the entire seven days, but this olive branch was just too good to pass up. He thanked her, and exited the hospital for a day of much needed respite.

At the doorway, the sunlight assaulted his eyes. He turned and walked back inside. The young man had been within the hospital for so long his eyes had adjusted to the lighting there. Now it would take several minutes to readjust to daytime lighting. He had to squint and cover up with an arm or his hat to make it to the dining hall for a good breakfast. Terence ate greedily. This was his first truly good meal in days. He also didn't lack for conversation. As soon as someone spotted him in hall, nearly everyone seeking news on Tinker Bell approached him. He didn't turn away a single conversation.

For more than two hours, he informed the others of Tinker Bell's status, the good and the bad. Each fairy was elated to receive the good news. Just this alone made Terence feel so much better. It melted away all of his nervous anxiety and loneliness. Then he visited the Pixie Dust Tree and delivered much the same news to Queen Clarion and her ministers. From there, he paid a quick visit with the boys at the depot and then it was off to the baths and then his apartment in the Pixie Dust Tree, where all the dust keepers lived.

Terence changed into nightclothes, climbed into his oh so inviting mattress and fell asleep right away. His dreams were sweet and pleasant, as they always were in the comforts of his home.

* * *

**Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story and to those who have added this to their favorites or follow list and to those who have left reviews.**

**I would really like to know what you think of this chapter. Thank you again.**


	7. Chapter 7

**The Accident Ch. 7**

**An Empty Shell**

* * *

When Terence awoke, it was early afternoon. He had only slept about four hours, but it was the most restful sleep he had had since Tinker Bell was injured. The boy felt sick to his stomach about it, too. Terence knew he needed this to stay sane, but it left a bitter feeling that he had abandoned Tinker Bell for his own selfish reasons. He had to work hard to convince himself it was for the best. _If I can't keep my mind sharp and focused how am I going to take care of Tinker Bell?_ This line of reasoning helped ease his guilt.

Taking advantage of the relief, Terence chose to have a bit of lunch and then make a few purchases before returning to the hospital to resume his duties keeping watch over that lovely girl he loved most.

**~O~**

"Well, there you are," Rosetta said cheerfully. "It's about time. We were gettin' worried you might never come back."

Terence knew she was joking. "Oh, I'll always come back to help my friends," he said. "And for you, too, Ro."

"Good one, Terence," Fawn said with a smile.

All of Tink's girl friends had assembled in the hospital room. When their shifts ended, they each came over to keep Silvermist company and to check on Tink's status.

"The doctor says Tinker Bell has a good chance of making through this week," Sil told him.

"Yeah, whatever it is you're doing, keep doing it," Fawn told him.

"What, exactly, are you doing?" Vidia asked with her trademark smirk. "Nothing goofy, I hope."

"Vidia!" Ro chided her.

"I'm just yanking his wings, Ro," the flyer said. "Everyone knows he has a crush on Tinker Bell."

To Terence it was as if all the air had been sucked out of the entire room.

"You knew about that?" Terence asked.

"We do now," Vidia said.

"So it is true," Rosetta said. "I thought I saw a hint of unrequited love in his face lately."

Terence just shook his head. He could not believe he had fallen for such an obvious trick. "Well, nothing is going to kill my good mood today. I brought each of you something for your kindness this week."

The young dust keeper gave each of the girls a box of Pixie Hollow's finest chocolates.

"Oh these look delicious, Terence," Iridessa said. "But these are expensive. I bet they set you back almost a week's rations.

"For everything you've done for Tinker Bell, it's the least I could do," he answered.

The blonde-haired sparrow man than presented each of the girls with a flower, a pink Rose blossom which he said symbolized friendship. Then he placed a different flower in Tinker Bell's hands and laid it on her chest. The bloom, which sat on a long, green stem, had six white petals and several stamens at the center.

"What is that?" Iridessa asked.

"Oh, that's a Grass Lily," Rosetta said, identifying the flower. "Now why would you bring that weed in here, Terence? I don't even like having it in my gardens; it takes over if a fairy isn't careful."

"It's from the Griffiths," he said.

"It is a nice gesture, but why that particular flower?" Fawn asked.

Terence opened up a piece of leaf paper. On it was a letter, transcribed from the original written on a human size piece of loose-leaf paper.

"It has a different significance to the humans," he said. "They call it a Star of Bethlehem flower. It refers to something in their religious texts and it is meant to symbolize innocence, purity and above all, hope. Lizzy writes that this flower was blessed by the local Vicar and she believes it will help with Tinker Bell's recovery."

"That was very thoughtful of them," Silvermist commented.

"What did they call it again?" Rosetta asked Terence. The dust keeper responded by handing the sheet of leaf paper to the garden fairy. "They explain everything in the letter."

She took the note and read it through. "Oh, now it makes sense. Yes, it is very thoughtful, indeed."

"So-o, since Rosetta called it a weed, does this mean she's going to a bad place after her light goes out," Vidia joked.

"Oh please, it's just a little confusion," Rosetta answered. "It's not like I did anything wrong. Did I?"

"You're fine, Ro," Fawn said.

"Yes," Vidia said. "Just say ten Our Father's and you'll be safe."

"Oh, ha-ha! Very funny."

"Yeah, Vidia," Silvermist said. "We don't have fathers, remember?"

Vidia just shook her head in disbelief. Of course, this time Sil had a reason for her odd comment. She was never around whenever Dr. Griffiths put Lizzy to bed and reminded the girl to say her prayers.

"C'mon, Sil, I'll explain it to you in the corridor," Fawn said bringing the water talent fairy with her.

Terence talked with the girls for some time. He enjoyed every minute of it. All the while, however, he stayed by Tinker Bell's side. He kept his hand on hers, glanced at her from time to time and would even lean over and loudly whisper the occasional aside to her as though she were an active participant in the conversation.

It left him feeling good. Even his guilt from earlier was gone. Tink's friends rallied to her side as they always did. He knew she was safe with them around. When evening came, the girls treated him out to dinner. Although worried about Tinker Bell, he felt she was out of the most pressing danger. The nurses would be doing their rounds soon so he took the opportunity to get out once again.

**~O~**

When Terence returned to the hospital to watch over Tink during the night, he got a knot in his stomach. Though he relaxed during his evening meal, in the very back of his mind was a nagging thought that something might happen while he was away. He dismissed it as irrational fear. The closer he got to her room, though, the tighter his stomach felt. His nerves kept worsening and without consciously realizing it, Terence was walking faster and faster as he neared her room. He heard loud voices coming from Tink's hospital room and his heart sank. He was certain that the doctors were inside dealing with an emergency. He was almost at a full sprint by the time he got to her doorway. When he turned the corner and went inside, she was safe. Clank and Bobble had come to visit; it was their voices he had heard. They were telling Tinker Bell all the funny things that had been happening in Tinker's Nook since she had been away.

"Oh, there you are, Terence," Bobble said in his heavy accent. "The nurses told us we had just missed you and the girls."

"Hi, guys," he responded while going to his chair. "Don't mind me."

Clank and Bobble picked up where they left off. Terence listened to their stories and laughed along with them. He kept imagining how much Tinker Bell would be enjoying this right now, if she were conscious. _I bet she's laughing on the inside_, he thought. The two tinker sparrow men stayed well into the night, regaling Tink with all manner of stories, jokes and off the wall humor. It was just the tonic Terence needed to end a good day and he slept very well in the uncomfortable chair that night.

**~O~**

"Welcome back, Terence," Fairy Gary said. "We've missed you."

Fairy Gary used that same tone he always used when teasing him about how much time he was spending with Tinker Bell. Whether it was collecting lost things for her or helping her build something, Fairy Gary, Bolt and Stone were always the ones who would give him a hard time about it.

"Hi, guys, it's good to be back."

"Oh, what, you don't want to be by Tinker Bell's side anymore?" Fairy Gary said with a wicked smile.

"I want to stay there until she wakes up, but I have a job to do," he answered.

Tinker Bell had made it through her week of hell. The doctors were very optimistic about her recovery from then on, however, they continued to remind Terence that there was still a good possibility that she might remain in a coma, an invalid. Or that she may have suffered severe brain damage, leaving her in a permanently impaired state. This reminded Terence of that awful dream he had and didn't want to think about it anymore. Yet it was a fact that he could not escape.

Pushing all negative thoughts from his mind, Terence arranged a schedule with Tinker Bell's friends and co-workers so that someone would be in her room every day. She would no longer have 'round the clock visitors, but at least it gave him comfort knowing Tink was going to have an encouraging voice whispering into her ear each and every day of her recovery until she regained consciousness and could leave the hospital. Terence went back to work feeling very confident about Tink's future. When Fairy Gary and the others gave him a little good-natured ribbing, he didn't mind a bit.

During the first few days back at work, fairies and sparrow men alike would give Terence an enthusiastic greeting and would tell him some variation of the "what you did for Tinker Bell was very nice" speech. It was a sincere thought from everyone, but it seemed that the fairies viewed it more from a romantic standpoint, whereas the sparrow men considered it a reflection of manhood and strong moral character. Terence accepted each pat on the back as intended, but always brushed off any congratulatory remarks with grace, preferring to give credit to Tinker Bell and her indefatigable spirit.

**~O~**

With Tinker Bell still in the hospital and still unconscious, every day still passed with such slowness that Terence wondered if time were standing still just to vex him. Eventually, though, the second week finally managed to conclude and Terence was back at her side, donating every hour after his shifts and every off day keeping watch over the beautiful tinker fairy. He would speak to her as though her full recovery was never in doubt and kept a cheerful tone in his voice. Terence had no reason to believe otherwise. He had pushed all unhappy notions out of his mind and told himself repeatedly that Tinker Bell would soon wake up and be as good as new. Tink's friends and workmates shared the same optimistic attitude, speaking about when she would wake up, not if. Time would change that.

**~O~**

As the third week came to its end, Terence remained an ever-vigilant visitor and caretaker. He maintained his good cheer and positive attitude at all times. Rosetta and the girls remained just as optimistic when around Terence, but quietly a few began to have reservations about Tinker Bell's recovery.

"This might be one time she can't get herself out of a jam," Iridessa said nervously.

"Oh, of course, she will, Sugarplum," Rosetta replied. "She just needs a little more time, that's all."

"Yes, she's a tough tinker fairy," Silvermist chimed in.

"But what if she can't?" Fawn said.

"She has to," Vidia said. "Tink can't leave us alone." It was a rare moment of weakness for Vidia who kept up a veneer of snarky toughness.

"Tink will make it through, Terence is with her," Silvermist answered, finally showing some backbone in a conversation. "He'll give her the push she needs to come back to us."

"I hope you're right, Sil," Fawn said. "I hope you're right."

**~O~**

During the fourth week, Clank and Bobble brought Periwinkle to visit just as they had every week. Peri, who was as upbeat about Tink's recovery as Terence was, sat near her sister and looked at her with concerned eyes.

"C'mon, Tink," she said. "You can do this. I believe in you. We all believe in you."

"Aye, that we do," Bobble added.

Periwinkle, who had always remained in her iced wheel chair, stood up this time and sat next to her sister in what was usually Terence's seat. She took Tinker Bell's hand in her own and began to tear up.

"I…, I got my sister back just a little while ago," she said, referring to Tink's absence with Peter Pan. "I don't want to lose you again. Not this time, Tink. I'll never get you back. Ever again. I- I can't live with that. We have so much to do together, so many plans we haven't started. I want you to show me where you and Peter fought Captain Hook, and where Wendy Darling lives. I have to…; I can't… go on knowing you won't be with me anymore. It will be too hard. It would be worse than when Lord Milori told us we couldn't see each other again. At least then, I knew you were alive and well. Please, don't go. Come back to us."

"There, there," Bobble said. "Now, why don't you come back to your nice and chilly seat, Periwinkle."

"Another minute, Bobble," Peri said. Bobble didn't like the looks of Peri's wings, which were becoming limp in the relative heat, so he took one of the ice cushions and placed in the chair to keep them properly chilled.

Peri put Tinker Bell's hand to her cheeks where an ice-cold tear rolled onto Tink's warm hand. Terence knew how she felt. A sister's love is a strong bond that cannot be broken. Peri would probably live a hollow existence if Tink never woke up.

So would he.

**~O~**

More days passed and Tinker Bell remained in her unconscious state. She did not respond to visitors or to the doctors' attempts to bring out of her coma. When Tinker Bell was first brought into the hospital during that first week, floral arrangements poured into her room. Soon, her space was a riot of colors. Rosetta kept them watered and in good shape. However, once Tink made it through the first week, the despondent feeling of Pixie Hollow changed to one of hopefulness. Everyone was certain Tinker Bell would recover and be back to her old self in no time. Now, weeks later, that sense of optimism was gone. The number of arrangements that came in slowed to a trickle, and then stopped all together. Eventually, the staff of the hospital had to remove the arrangements because they had started to wilt and turn dark. Not even Rosetta, a garden fairy, could stop the blooms from turning dark.

The only flower to hold on was the Star of Bethlehem. It was a hearty bloom, one that can last as long as a full month after being cut if properly cared for. Now, weeks later, it too was fading and had to be removed. Strangely, it seemed an appropriate metaphor for how Terence felt. He remained devoted to staying by Tinker Bell's side when he could, but the facts before him began to wear down even his resolve.

One day, he arrived at the hospital to find that Tinker Bell was no longer in her assigned room. The doctors told him that she had been moved to a permanent care facility elsewhere in the hospital. She was no longer expected to wake up and would be placed under 24-hour supervision.

"I'm sorry, son," a physician told him, "this is all we can do for her now. She'll probably be like this for the rest of her life."

Terence felt sick inside. He told himself this was all his fault. If he had stopped her from testing that boat, or if he had looked for her downstream instead of thinking it was all a big joke on her part. However, the biggest "what if" that loomed over him was: _what if I had told her I loved her earlier? Things would be different._

Now he would never be able to tell her how much he loved her and what she truly meant to him. He would never be able to live his life with the most beautiful fairy by his side. Her future and his had been irreparably altered. It shattered his spirit. Terence went to her side, took her hand in his and whispered. "I'm sorry, Tink. I'm sorry I failed. This is all my fault."

He kissed her cheek and said one last time, "I will always love you." Then he left. From that day forward, he never returned to visit her. How could he, in his thoughts he was the reason she was like this. Yes, she had been willing to take the risk, but all the other possibilities kept playing in his head and every time it always came out the same way. "My fault." The guilt stalked him like a predator, implacable and unrelenting.

When he went back to work, everyone noticed he had become a shell of himself. His work was still superior, but he was no longer cheerful or happy in his duties. Terence showed up, did his job and went home. He barely talked to anyone, rarely socialized and never wanted to mention Tinker Bell again.

It just hurt too much.

* * *

**One more chapter left. What will happen next?**


	8. Chapter 8

**The Accident Ch. 8**

**Finale Pt. 1**

* * *

"Why don't you go and pay her a visit?" Fairy Gary asked.

"Nothing's changed in the last two weeks," Terence replied. "What's the point?"

"The point is you love her," Gary answered.

Vidia and the girls had been hard at work spreading the word that Terence was deeply in love with Tinker Bell. This news made him an object of sympathy and nonstop advice like what he was getting from Fairy Gary.

"I love her, but she's in a coma and probably will be for the rest of her life," he answered. "I've got to move on with mine."

Terence had been moping about for the past two weeks since his last visit. He still blamed himself for letting the accident happen and for not pulling her out of the water in time. Terence thought she was dead at the stream, but she somehow survived. He got his hopes up, probably too much, and now those hopes were fading quickly. There had been some talk amongst the doctors and the queen about what to do next. Keep Tinker Bell like that for who knows how long or let nature take its course and allow her die peacefully.

The young dust keeper couldn't abide by either decision. He didn't want Tinker Bell to live as a vegetable the rest of her life. However, he was still too emotionally attached to let her perish. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. When he dwelled on it, and he often did, he somehow always came back to the same "what if's" that kept playing through his head, blaming himself for Tink's situation. Fairy Gary recognized this and tried to talk him out of the cycle of self-loathing Terence had put himself into these last several days.

"You knew what kind of personality she was," Gary would say. "She always took the kind of risks no one else ever would."

"Something like this was bound to happen," Terence would answer, taking Fairy Gary's reasoning to its logical conclusion. "I should have been better prepared for it and I wasn't."

"Why do you always have to put such a negative spin on everything, boy?" Gary asked. "It's not your fault. She would have tested that boat no matter what you said or did. Tinker Bell is Tinker Bell because she is so stubborn."

"Well someone should have stopped her!" Terence shouted back. "That someone was supposed to have been me and I did nothing!"

"He's hopeless," Bolt said quietly to Fairy Gary.

"Yeah, completely hopeless," Stone murmured in agreement.

"Aye, but I'm not going to give up on him just yet," the guild master said. "What Terence needs is a good kick in the pants to shake him out of this."

"And are you going to do the kicking?" Bolt asked.

"I most certainly am," Fairy Gary said in return.

**~O~**

Ever since Terence stopped visiting Tinker Bell, Fairy Gary had sent Blaze the firefly to the hospital to check on her progress. It took a little time to understand Blaze's pantomime talk, but eventually Fairy Gary understood the daily reports. Each time the firefly came back the news was always the same.

Then one day something changed.

**~O~**

Terence had just returned from his early delivery run when Bolt and Stone decided to tease him again. Today, however, they went too far.

"Hi, Terence," Bolt began.

"Yeah, hello," Stone added.

"So, how does it feel to, you know, be dating a stiff?" Bolt said with a snicker.

Terence took it, but it was obvious that he didn't like it.

"Do you get 'bored'?" Stone asked, with a snide laugh.

"What's wrong, Terence," Bolt continued. "Don't have the wings to ask out a live one?"

"Don't you say that?" Terence exploded. "Tink _is_ alive, she just needs more time! I don't know why anyone has to let her go! Why the queen thinks Tink needs to do die! She's going to be fine!"

"Oh, sure, sure," Stone said with a wink. "We just thought you might have more fun with a girl who can hold up her side of the conversation."

Terence leapt towards them, grabbing both by their collars and began shaking them violently. "She's going to be fine!" he yelled.

Fairy Gary stepped in.

"What's going on here?" the guild master asked.

"Nothing," Terence said. "These two are just being jerks."

"Well, it sounded like they were being more than jerks, Lad," Fairy Gary said. "It sounds like they need a lesson about treating others with respect. Why don't we show them how Tinker Bell is coming along so they'll keep their big yaps shut."

"No thanks," Terence said.

"They'll never stop unless you show them what they need to see," Fairy Gary insisted. "Now let's go, the three of you. This nonsense stops this instant. I need my dust keepers to focus on their work."

Fairy Gary guided Terence out the depot and towards the hospital. Bolt and Stone followed, heads held low. On the way out, Fairy Gary gave both of them a wink. They smiled back at him; both were in on it.

**~O~**

At the hospital, Terence and the others were brought to the special ward where the nurses and doctors were keeping Tinker Bell under constant watch. None of staff said a word. Here gathered around the patient were Rosetta, Vidia, Fawn, Iridessa and Silvermist. With them was Tink's sister, Periwinkle who was seated in her ice wheelchair. All of them had grim looks on their faces.

"Hello, Terence," Silvermist greeted. Her tone wasn't a cheerful one, more an acknowledgement of his presence. "You haven't come to visit in a while, so we've been coming over to keep Tink company when we can."

The young dust keeper looked at the motionless form of Tinker Bell and all the old feelings and memories he had been trying to bury came flooding back with a vengeance. His heart felt as though it were crushed. Lately, his memories of Tinker Bell had been of when she was well and happy. He had been pushing the last several weeks out of his mind. This undid it all.

"Well, go on, Lad," Fairy Gary said gently nudging Terence forward. "Say your piece."

The boy begrudgingly walked over to the hospital bed. He looked at the little tinker fairy and looked away for a moment. He felt sick. _How could I have left her alone?_ he asked himself. He looked back at Fairy Gary hoping for a reprieve, but got none. Instead, Gary nodded as though prodding him on.

Terence took in a deep breath and then turned back to the lovely girl in the hospital bed.

"Tink…, Tink I, uh, I," he kept stammering, not really knowing what to say. "Well, uh…, Fairy Gary brought me here to say something, but I don't know what to say. It's all a bit…"

"Tell her how you feel," Fairy Gary said.

Terence took in a deep breath and then sighed. He just wanted to get this over with so he could get back to work, was that so much to ask?

"I'm…, I'm sorry, Tink," he finally started. "I'm the reason you're like this. I thought you were playing a game with me. Like that time you hid in the grasses and then jumped out and scared the life out of…. Poor choice of words, sorry."

Terence held his tongue after that.

"Go on," Silvermist whispered. "You're doing fine."

"I've told her this before," he said to Fairy Gary and the girls. "She didn't hear it then and she won't hear it now. I don't even know why I'm even here; Tink is never going to wake up."

Terence started to walk out the door, but Fairy Gary wouldn't let him. "Finish what you were going to say and then I'll let you leave."

"And you won't mention this ever again?" Terence asked as if negotiating terms.

"I promise," Fairy Gary said. "Neither I, nor Bolt or Stone will ever talk about you visiting Tinker Bell in the hospital ever again."

"Deal!"

When Terence turned to look at the girls, he caught a glimpse of them being very animated and then suddenly stopping. Now they looked sad and hurt. _What are they up to?_ Terence asked himself. He turned around to look at Tinker Bell, but she still lay there, motionless in her comatose state. He went back to her and picked up where he left off. He had to take in a few deep breaths to calm himself. Fairy Gary had made his blood boil and he didn't want to take it out on the poor girl.

"Tink," he said with a bit of a tremble in his voice. He was about to bare his soul to the girl he loved and he was surrounded by all these voyeurs. It made him very tense. "Tink…, I. When you left with Peter Pan, it hurt. I never realized it until then, but I fell in love with you a long time ago. Do you still remember when you came to Pixie Hollow? Your hammer glowed so brightly at the ceremony. It was obvious you were special, but no one knew what kind of person you were going to be. I thought you would be more like Vidia, both of you are extremely talented."

He looked over at the fast flyer, she didn't appear very happy with him at that moment. "No offense," he said. "Fairies with immense talents see the world differently than everyone else. It can be hard for others to understand them, sometimes."

"When all the spring preparations were ruined, you reacted differently than I thought you would," Terence went on to explain to the unmoving Tinker Bell. "I expected you might try and blame someone else or just not care, but you didn't. You took responsibility for it and felt as if you had let everyone down."

He had to stop and wipe a few tears from his eyes.

"When I talked to you at the Pixie Dust Tree, you were so vulnerable. You needed someone to pick you up and give you encouragement," Terence said. "To help you find your place in the world. That's when I fell in love with you. It took a long time for me to figure that out. Those feelings are why I took a little extra pixie dust and followed you all the way out to that island. It's why I've always been so excited about all of your inventions, no matter how they turn out. When you are happy, I'm happy. When you're sad, I feel that sadness with you."

Terence stopped to draw in a few more breaths before continuing. "I never said a word about this to you because we had a great friendship. I was afraid of ruining what we had by admitting how much I loved and cared about you. I didn't want to hurt the person I loved most in the world, Tink. Now…, now I wish I had said all of this to you sooner."

Terence had to wipe more tears from his face. In fact, everyone in the room was tearing up. Even Vidia, though she tried to hide it.

Terence leaned over and gave Tinker Bell a gentle kiss on the cheek. Suddenly he bolted straight up.

"What's wrong, Laddie?" Fairy Gary asked with a smile.

"I…, I think she kissed me back," he answered, rubbing his face.

"Are you sure?" Bolt asked.

"Yeah, it's got to be your imagination," Stone added.

"You're right. I must have imagined it," Terence said. He took Tinker Bell's hand in his, as if saying goodbye for the last time.

She squeezed it back. "Terence?" Tinker Bell mumbled. "Terence, is that you?"

The young dust keeper pulled back. Tink's eyelids opened up a bit, revealing those beautiful blue eyes. She turned to him and gave him a warm smile. "Hi," she said with a soft voice.

Terence, looking terror stricken, responded by running out of the room.

"What was that all about?" Fawn asked. It was a question that was on every one's lips.

* * *

**Okay, I know I said one more chapter last time, but there was too much story so there will be two parts to the finale and then an epilogue.**


	9. Chapter 9

**The Accident Ch. 9**

**Finale Pt. 2**

* * *

Fairy Gary followed Terence into the corridor. He found the boy leaning against the wall. Terence didn't look happy; instead, he looked like he had just committed a terrible sin. He slid down until he was sitting on the floor and started to cry.

"What's wrong, Lad?" Fairy Gary asked, very puzzled. "I thought you would be happy?"

"I am," Terence said. "Tink is awake and looks like she'll be just fine."

"Then why did you run out on her?"

"Because I gave up on her, Fairy Gary," Terence replied. "How can I claim to have loved her so much but still walk away from her like that? I'm a coward. I ran because it was easy."

"No, you're not," Fairy Gary said with a stern tone. "You had a crisis of confidence, that's all. It happens to the best of us, Lad. Don't sell yourself short, Terence. You did what you thought was best."

"No, I did what was best for me, not for her," Terence answered, still wallowing in his own failures.

"Terence, you were the only one who stayed by her side that entire first week." Fairy Gary reminded his charge. "We all thought she was going to die, so we gave up. Not you, you fought for her everyday and she lived. Now that's real love."

Terence didn't seem all too moved by Fairy Gary's little speech. The dust-keeping overseer decided on a different tactic to appeal to the boy.

"I overheard what you said in there," Gary started. "When Tinker Bell ruined the spring preparations she wanted to leave Pixie Hollow. What did you say to her that kept her here?"

"I convinced her that her talent was important and that she should be proud of it, like I was proud of mine," Terence replied.

"Did she need your help then?"

"Of course she did," Terence replied sharply.

"Has she needed your encouragement since?"

"Yeah, sure. Every time she works on the Pixie Dust Express, it doesn't work. She can get really down."

"You have to console her? Make her believe that it's worth pursuing?"

"Uh huh. Usually."

"Is that why you are by her side each time she tests a new version? Because you know she is going to need someone to pick up her spirits if she fails?"

Terence didn't reply instantly. He had to think about it for a while. "That never occurred to me."

"But Tinker Bell is them is the most talented tinker fairy in all of Pixie Hollow, isn't she?"

"Yeah, by a long shot."

"And she has a long list of inventions to her credit that have benefited us, doesn't she?"

"Sure. What are you getting at, Fairy Gary?"

"Well, its simple, my boy. If she is so great at what she does why does she need someone to give her encouragement?" Fairy Gary asked Terence directly. "Why does she take each failure so hard?"

Terence thought about it this for a while. "Well, a fairy's talent is her joy."

"Yes, but that is true of everyone here in Pixie Hollow," Fairy Gary said. "No one else gets as moody as Tinker Bell does when she fails. What makes her so different from the rest of us?"

Terence thought hard about this question. He knew Tinker Bell best, yet he couldn't come up with this simple answer.

"It's her talent level," Fairy Gary told him. "Every invention has to be a rousing success or it questions her ability as a tinker. I know because I've seen it before."

The young dust keeper looked at his mentor with a quizzical look on his face. "What do you mean? When? Who?"

"Me," Gary admitted. Fairy Gary explained that when he was new to Pixie Hollow he was the most talented Dust Keeper. Great things were expected of him by his direct supervisor and by Queen Clarion herself. He worked very hard to live up to these expectations and obsessed over every detail no matter how insignificant. It made him a great dust keeper in his day. However, there was a problem. Any mistake, no matter now tiny, was magnified a thousand times in his mind. If he was such a great dust keeping talent then why did he fail? Did that mean he could never live up to his potential? Was his talent glow a mistake? Was he not as good as he had been led to believe?

Failure, any failure, brought Gary crashing down into a deep depression for days or weeks at a time. It vexed his supervisor and worried the queen. Fortunately, he met someone who recognized the cause of his despairing mood and offered him help. A young tinker fairy named Mary was that person. She talked him through his lows and celebrated his highs. Soon they were watching out for each other, offering the other support and boosting the other's morale. Gary and Mary were often seen together at a favorite watering hole every week laughing and carrying on like old buddies. She helped him get through those early decades.

"Wait, you mean Fairy Mary? She helped you?"

"That's right! We picked each other up when the other needed it," Fairy Gary told him. "We've been close friends ever since."

"That's fascinating, Fairy Gary, but what does that have to do with Tink and me?"

"You see, Terence, Tinker Bell needs you," he told the boy. "The same way I needed Mary back in the day. You're love for her kept you devoted to her longer than any of us."

"Then why did I leave her?"

"Because you needed that someone who could offer support and encouragement in the same way you offer it to Tinker Bell," Gary told him. "Unfortunately, you never got it and became convinced that Tinker Bell was a lost cause. It doesn't mean you don't love her, or don't love her enough. It means you are like the rest of us. Sometimes you just need a friend."

It took several minutes for all of this to sink in, but when a small smile began to cross Terence's lips, Fairy Gary knew his advice worked. Terence stood up and walked back to the ward. He peered inside and saw the love of his life sitting up in bed. She was holding court with the girls and her sister. When Tinker Bell saw him, her face brightened instantly. Terence stood in the doorway, smiling proudly at his tinker fairy. She overcame so much because she didn't give up, because he wouldn't let her.

"What's wrong, Terence?" Tinker Bell asked him.

"I'm just glad you're well," he answered from the door.

"Well come over here so I we can talk," she bade him.

Terence didn't move right away. He still felt a bit foolish for running out on her. Fairy Gary gave him a gentle nudge from behind. "Go on, she won't bite," Fairy Gary told Terence.

The young, blonde dust keeper took a few tentative steps into the ward. He slowly made his way to her bedside. "Hi, Tink," was what squeaked through his lips. The girls chuckled. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Better than ever," she replied. "I heard I had a bad spill."

_"A bad spill" wasn't enough to describe what happened_, Terence said to himself.

"I also heard you were right there to bring here to the hospital. Thanks," she said taking and holding his hand.

Terence looked over at the other visitors. Rosetta nodded her head. Silvermist motioned her hands as if saying _go ahead_. Even Vidia looked impatient. Periwinkle had slid to the edge of her chair, waiting anxiously. Fairy Gary had joined them. He gave Terence a smile, which broadened his already large face. Fawn and Iridessa held each other's hands in anticipation.

"Yeah, that's kind of what happened," Terence said. He had put his free hand to the back of his neck and was rubbing it nervously.

For several seconds, neither he nor Tinker Bell said a word to each other. Then Terence sighed and tried to speak. He was doing this all over again. "Tink, I…, I want to tell you that…. I want you to know how I…"

"I love you, too, Terence," she announced. He looked stunned. How could she have known? She was unconscious when he told her.

"How…?"

"I heard you at the stream," she said. Terence looked very puzzled.

"If you were conscious then why…?"

"I wasn't conscious, Terence," she said. Tinker Bell arranged her pillows to sit more erect. "I was dead."

Terence was stunned by this announcement. She told him what happened.

**~O~**

After the accident, Tinker Bell stood up with a mild headache. She looked around for Terence. After a few moments, she found him sitting on the ground sobbing. He was holding her in his arms. If she was there watching this how could she be in his arms. Tinker Bell began to hear strange sounds. Voices that were beckoning her, voices that should have frightened her, but didn't. These were the sounds of fairies long since passed away calling her. They were going to take her to where a baby's first laugh goes after a fairy dies.

Tinker Bell felt a sense of joy, calm and serenity from those voices. It put her at great ease and began to fly towards them. That is when she heard Terence proclaim his love for her. Holding her dead body in his arms, and weeping terribly he told her how much he loved her. Tinker Bell stopped and listened intently as he spoke of how deeply he cared for her, what he had hoped for their future. It broke her heart to hear this. She had loved him, too. Tink didn't say anything to him because she was afraid it would ruin their friendship if he didn't love her back. Now she knew and it was too late.

Or was it? Tink weighed her options and realized that this place, which was calling to her, would always be there. When the time came, she would join that chorus of voices calling each recently dead fairy to this place of joy and contentment. That time wasn't today. Today, she decided she wanted to spend her life with Terence and give them a second chance.

**~O~**

"So was that your voice in my head? The one telling me to help you?" he asked her.

"Yes, it was," she told him. "Thank you. You saved my life."

Terence put his free hand around her waist and pulled her close to him. He kissed her, ever so lovingly, on her lips.

Rosetta leaned up to Fairy Gary and whispered, "So when are you going to tell him that she woke up this morning and that she heard everything he said."

"Later, if I don't forget," he said with a wicked smile.

"By the way, that was a great story you two cooked up," she added. "All that stuff about her being dead really sounded good."

"What? I thought that was something you and the girls made up," Fairy Gary replied. The realization hit both of them like a pound of pebbles.

"Oh dear," Rosetta gasped. "I had no idea."

"Same here," Fairy Gary said in agreement.

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**Thanks for reading. An epilogue is next.**


	10. Chapter 10

**The Accident**

**Epilogue**

* * *

More than a year had passed since the accident. The early morning light shown through the window of Tinker Bell's tea kettle home, the rays of sunshine piercing the darkness and caressed everything inside with its warm glow. A sumptuous wedding dress was carelessly thrown on the floor. Near to it a formal jacket, shirt and pants. In her bed, Tinker Bell slept comfortably. The light played across her rosy cheeks. An arm rested across her tiny waist holding her snuggly against the form of a blonde dust keeper sparrow man. Terence. A fading scar on Tink's forehead was the last vestige of that awful day. A reminder of what they had both nearly lost.

An hour or so later a voiced called from outside the door.

"Hello, we brought breakfast," Rosetta called.

"Is anyone awake in there?" Silvermist asked.

"Seriously? After last night?" Vidia sniped.

"Well, I'm goin' in, my arms are gettin' tired," Rosetta said.

"What if they're not decent?" Iridessa asked nervously.

"Well, when a boy fairy and girl fairy really love each other…," Fawn joked.

"Oh shush, both of you," Rosetta snapped.

The door to Tinker Bell's home opened. A dark shadow loomed in the doorway. It moved inward, stopping at the drafting table. The shadow was the garden fairy Rosetta. She was followed by Fawn, the animal talent fairy, then by Silvermist, the water talent, Iridessa the light fairy and lastly Vidia, the fast flyer who was also the snarkiest member of the group.

Each brought trays of baked goodies, honeycombs, fruits, nuts, a kettle with hot water for tea, and pitchers filled with juice and mouse milk. These were set down on Tink's drafting and work tables.

"Are they awake yet?" Silvermist asked.

"I think they're still asleep," Fawn whispered back.

"I'd be out cold, too, after the day those two had," Vidia chipped in.

The voices and rattling of the dishes caused Tinker Bell to stir. She opened her eyes and was startled by the fairies who had invaded her room.

"AAAH!" she grabbed the blankets and pulled them up to cover herself. Her movements woke up Terence. The two were sleeping not in Tink's seashell bed, but in a luxurious, fairy sized, four-poster bed with canopy that was a wedding gift from Lizzy and her father. The sheets were made from silk while the comforter was cottony soft and warm.

"We woke them up," Iridessa announced nervously.

"Oh, we're sorry," Rosetta cooed. "We just wanted to bring you some food and drink. You two had a very busy night last night."

Tink and Terence laughed with embarrassment.

"Nice going, Ro," Vidia chided.

Silvermist marveled at the lovely bed and its masterful craftsmanship. "Oh, this is so lovely. Did you two sleep well in it last night?"

Tinker Bell and Terence turned very bright shades of crimson. Fawn nearly choked on her own laughter. Vidia just face palmed.

"Oops, sorry. I meant did you lie comfortably?"

"DYA-AH!" was Iridessa's horrified reply.

"Oh no, no, no. What I meant was—,"

"We all know what you meant, Sil," Fawn said taking the water talent by the arm. "Now let's go see if the doctor can remove that foot from your mouth."

Vidia sat down on the edge of the mattress and cocked an eyebrow. "So-o, you two finally did it."

"Yeah, we finally admitted our love for each other and got married," Tinker Bell answered. She and Terence shared a sweet kiss.

"Well, it's about time," the flyer said, saying what everyone else was thinking. "But could you do us all a little favor? Could you be a little quieter? You kept up half the Hollow last night."

Tink was so embarrassed she sunk down into the bed and pulled the covers completely over herself, disappearing under them.

"VIDIA!" Rosetta scolded.

"What? Is it my fault these two are loud enough they can wake the de—HEY, LET GO!" Rosetta grabbed Vidia by the ear and was dragging her out of Tink and Terence's home.

"C'mon girls, scoot, shoo, let's leave these two lovebirds alone," the garden fairy ordered. With that all the fairies left, saying only a pleasant "goodbye" or "farewell" as they did. Except for Silvermist who offered, "Sleep tight."

"SI-IL!" the others barked.

"Oops. Sorry."

The door closed and Tinker Bell and Terence were left alone in their plush bed surrounded by the smell of wonderful breakfast goodies. The dust keeper was laughing when Tink came out from under the covers.

"Are they gone?" she asked her new husband.

"Yeah, they're gone," he told his blushing bride.

"Whew, they can be handful," Tinker Bell commented. "But they mean well. C'mon, let's eat."

Terence grabbed his lovely new wife and pulled her back into the bed with him. He snuggled up against her, kissed her rosy cheeks and said, "Why don't we build up an appetite first?"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," he answered. "Hey, who is your ever loving sparrow man who always delivers?"

"Bobble?" she answered, looking around the room. "Bobble's here?"

"You're right, we should have breakfast." Terence sat up to get out of the bed.

Tinker Bell pulled him back in and gave him a kiss. "You are, Terence. Always."

Terence wrapped her in his arms and gave her long and loving kiss.

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**Thank you for reading. And thank you to all who followed this story, made it a favorite and left reviews.**

**I do hope everyone enjoyed it.**


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